American Legion Jersey Boys State A Week That Shapes the Future

Sponsorship Information

American Legion Jersey Boys State educates our youth in the duties, privileges, rights and responsibilities of American citizenship. Boys State endeavors to provide a foundation for understanding self-government, a rational approach toward the solution of public questions, and a live faith in the ideals and processes of democracy. The program of training and instruction consists of extending the boy-citizen's acquaintance with the background of American ideals, expanding his knowledge of the underlying principles of government organization, and by means of active participation in the government of Boys State helps him to set up constructive ideals toward all phases of representative government.

As separate corporations, Boys States vary in content and method of procedure, but each and every Boys State adheres to the basic concept of the program - that of teaching government from the township to the state level. ALJBS is in no sense a disciplinary or recreational camp. Only boys with outstanding qualifications in character and leadership, who will have a serious attitude toward an intensive citizenship training program should be selected. Consequently, it is assumed that all boys who are accepted and report for the annual session are representative of the ideals enumerated, know why they are here, and will give their wholehearted cooperation to the program of instruction and functional citizenship made available to them.

High school juniors are selected in early spring by local American Legion Posts to attend the program. Each post raises funds in different ways to sponsor their delegates and as a result, posts from around the State of New Jersey send a varying number of delegates from zero to ten or more. In most cases, expenses associated with attending this program are paid by funds from the sponsoring American Legion Post, however a local business or another the delegate(s). In some cases, American Legion Posts will leave the selection process up to teachers and guidance counselors of the local high school, however an American Legion Post must take part in the process for each delegate.